Oakland, CA

The Organization
Headquartered in Oakland, California, Akonadi Foundation is a family foundation working to support and nurture a racial justice movement to end structural racism. Since 2000, with an asset base of $29.6 million and six staff, Akonadi has distributed more than $30 million in grants to over 1,300 racial justice organizations focused on communities of color in Oakland working for racial equity through community and youth organizing, advocacy and cultural strategies. Akonadi actively engages in the ecosystem of social justice philanthropy in the Bay Area and nationally and participates in public-private partnerships with the City of Oakland.Akonadi has two main grantmaking programs: the Arc Toward Justice Fund, which gives grants to organizations working to end the criminalization of youth and young adults of color, end the school-to-prison pipeline and support the wellbeing of youth and young adults of color in Oakland; and the Beloved Community Fund, which supports cultural events and activities that celebrate and support the culture of communities of color in Oakland. There are additional grantmaking and program activities that relate to these areas of work. Through these and other discretionary funds, Akonadi strives to distribute approximately $3 million annually.

Position Overview
Reporting to the Board of Directors, Akonadi’s compassionate, visionary President will lead planning processes to inform the development of programs, articulate and update the Theory of Change/strategic plan and position the Foundation in its overall public relations strategy. The President ensures the implementation of a robust set of programs that support the racial justice movement through synergistically relating grantmaking, leadership development, communications and leveraging of resources to further the goals of the Foundation. The President speaks on behalf of the Foundation, conducts peer networking with philanthropic and civic leaders and speaks at conferences and meetings. The President also supports Foundation staff in the implementation and assessment of Akonadi’s grantmaking, technical assistance, movement building, communications and other programs. The President leads the financial management and legal compliance aspects of the Foundation and partners with the Deputy Director in implementation of programs and supervision of staff.

KEY ROLES AND FUNCTIONS

Leadership

• Lead Akonadi in the accomplishment of its mission and vision

• Lead periodic strategic planning processes and lead the staff team to ensure the implementation of strategic plans and programs

• Create the vision and space to ensure that Akonadi incubates new ideas to fulfill its mission

• Develop new and ongoing strategies to increase the impact of Akonadi’s work in the community

• Develop and maintain key community relationships

• Collaborate effectively with the Foundation’s Board

Grantmaking and Program Guidance

• Lead the development of ongoing programs in grantmaking, movement building, technical assistance and communications and partner with the Deputy Director and staff to ensure their implementation

• Lead the development and implementation of new or nascent programs in peer networking and evaluation

• Lead and manage the President’s Fund

• Oversee the administration of grants

• Assist with all programs, as required

• Lead strategy and planning meetings for board presentations

Financial Management and Legal Compliance

• Assure legal compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws

• Oversee financial systems including cash flow, timely payment to vendors and grantees and maintenance of financial records• Develop and monitor the annual budget

• Oversee auditing process internally and interact with auditor and the Audit Committee to insure implementation of auditor’s recommendations

• Oversee preparation for and completion of tax filings

Staff Support

• Directly supervise Deputy Director and bookkeeper/HR staff

• Assist and support Deputy Director in supervision of staff, as required

• Assist and support Deputy Director in management of consultants, as required

• With Deputy Director, develop and maintain clear job descriptions for all staff

• Engage in annual staff evaluations

• Participate in staff meetings

• Interface with HR consultants and attorneys

• Assure compliance with applicable laws

• Oversee employee benefits plan implementation

External Relationship-Building

• Lead development of goals for peer engagement program to more prominently position Akonadi in the community and achieve greater impact toward our vision

• Represent Akonadi with philanthropic, civic and other leaders

• Represent Akonadi in key partnerships and alliances

• Serve as a partner and convener to leverage resources and highlight racial justice issues

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

▪ Deep understanding of, and strong commitment to, the values, purpose and goals of the Foundation

▪ Passion and competence for working with diverse communities across race, class, ethnic, political and geographic boundaries

▪ Deep knowledge of the City of Oakland and the local, regional and national racial justice movement landscape

▪ A balance of technical expertise and relationship management experience: Must excel at developing and leveraging relationships across multiple Foundation program areas, working with staff and the Board

▪ Demonstrated high levels of performance delivering results on deadline across a wide variety of responsibilities

▪ Energetic, flexible, self-starting team player with a direct, honest and respectful approach to problem solving and an ability to foster collaboration and contribute to a strong sense of community among staff and board

▪ Strong research and analytical skills and the ability to relate findings clearly

▪ Excellent oral and written communication and meeting facilitation skills with a demonstrated ability to relate to and communicate with diverse communities

▪ Skilled in the use of the Microsoft Office Suite and other computerized tools for developing text and graphic communications and reports

▪ Must be able to work independently and multi-task with high degrees of project and time management capacity

▪ Strong interpersonal skills and ability to create positive, long-term working relationships by demonstrating a commitment to teamwork and relationship building, tact, dependability, diplomacy and flexibility

▪ Ability to work in a small and friendly office environment where each staff person assumes multiple responsibilities while striving to achieve shared goals

▪ Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to meetings and conferences

▪ Seven years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience in the philanthropic, nonprofit, government and/or private sector

▪ Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in areas such as social justice, public policy or administration, political science, law, business, marketing, education or related fields – experience in excess of the minimum requirement may substitute for an advanced degree

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for long periods while using a computer with keyboard, screen and mouse; talk and listen on a telephone and in person; read and write; apply logic and focus attention in the presence of distractions. Limited travel is required for participation in relevant conferences, site visits and meetings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job’s essential functions.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Competitive compensation, commensurate with the candidate’s background and experience will be offered. Benefits include health, dental and vision coverage for employee and family, disability and life insurance, a retirement benefits plan and four weeks of vacation, a holiday schedule and sick days. Akonadi Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and a values-based organization with a deep commitment to building transformative culture and challenging racism, sexism, homophobia and oppression in all its forms. People of color, working class people, differently-abled people, formerly incarcerated people and LGBTQ people are strongly encouraged to apply.